Encounter specialist suspended again

AFTER gunning down 83 gangsters, the famed encounter specialist of Mumbai police who now fears for his own life has been suspended for not reporting to the post to which he had been transferred a year ago.

Nayak was suspended for not reporting to Nagpur where he had been posted in 2014. Previously, he had been arrested and suspended in 2006, pending a probe of disproportionate wealth.

Nayak, apparently, did not take up the Nagpur posting, citing safety concerns of him and his family. Nayak had been previously provided round- the- clock AK- 47 totting police commandoes but it was withdrawn in 2006 following his arrest in a disproportionate asset case.

Daya Nayak, and others encounter specialist of Mumbai such as his mentor famed encounter specialist Inspector Pradeep Sharma, ruled the roost in the Mumbai police for close to two decades.

Under the tutelage of Inspector Sharma, Nayak had meteoric rise in the police department, not in terms of rank but in terms of fame as encounter specialist. However, realising the growing clout of encounter specialists in the police force who had become an unofficial power center, the police administration gradually begin sidelining this lot.

It has been alleged that the encounter specialist helped organised gangs eliminate members of the rival gang with their help for a hefty price. The gangster would be first detained and killed in cold blood. Nayak now fears for his own life as he suspects that those linked to the gangsters may seek vengeance.